By Monica Gibson

Residents and businesses in Barrhead who have had restricted access to their homes and workplaces since March can breathe a sigh of relief after a project to replace an 80-year-old bridge was completed.

The Glen Street Bridge, in Barrhead, is open to traffic again following a £320,000 investment.

An order restricting the use of the bridge was implemented by East Renfrewshire Council earlier this year to allow work to get under way.

Designed to ensure the safety of the general public and for those carrying out the works, the order meant there was no traffic allowed from the junction with Church Road to the junction with Carlibar Road.

The closure was planned to be in operation for up to 198 days, from March 6 until September 30.

While there were alternative routes in place, the closure was described as a nuisance for many people who were unable to walk to and from their homes on the usual route.

And the frustration mounted further as residents started to complain about the frequency of work being carried out.

Gavin Muir, owner of GlenMuir Motors, in Glen Street, said the road closure has had a negative impact on his business.

He added: “It has cost my business big time. People have had to park elsewhere and walk round the diversions.

“It’s been a nightmare for me to do, so how can I expect my customers to want to do it.

“Of course, they are just finding somewhere else to go.”

However, bosses at Diack & Macaulay Ltd – the firm which was given the contract for the bridge repairs – insist they managed to keep disruption to a minimum.

Jim Diack, who is one of the company’s directors, told the Barrhead News: “There have only been three working days in the past two weeks where we have not had any operatives on site, which was as a result of materials not being available due to the current acceleration of the works programme.

“The early completion of this project is down to the hard work of our staff throughout this contract and we don’t accept the claims being made.”

East Renfrewshire Council has confirmed that the bridge reopened last Thursday – a full seven weeks ahead of schedule – and that all previous diversions and restrictions are no longer in place.

A council spokesman also stressed that it was necessary to carry out major work at the bridge due to safety issues.

He added: “We appreciate residents’ patience whilst this essential work was being carried out.”

Barrhead Community Council had previously campaigned to stop heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) using the bridge.

It was feared repeated strain on the ageing steel structure – thought to be more than 60 years old – would result in permanent damage or even collapse.

Despite those concerns, a number of HGVs continued to use the bridge when travelling from nearby Muriel Street.